THE BEAR RISES Part One Before the Storm
by Dovah-wolfbear64
Summary: A year has passed since Rajvik Ice-Bear defeated Alduin, and now he is returning home after defeating Miraak. As the Stormcloak rebellion escalates a new officer of the Legion is sent to deal with the rebels, while Rajvik is gifted with his own keep by Jarl Balgruuf, and is reunited with a cousin of his. Will Rajvik and his friends be able to live quietly? Many OCs in this story.


**Hey guys, I'm back after a long absence.**

 **For those who are following my Game of Thrones fic, "The Kingdom of Stags and Wolves", do not worry, I have not abandoned it. That story will be updated when I get my writers block in regards to that story shifted. Basically I got a part of chapter six written, and then I just don't know where to go with it.**

 **This story is something that I have wanted to do for some time now, so with my writers block for the story in TKoSaW I decided to write this chapter here. As with TKoSaW I will update when I get chapters written and edited, which won't be at regular times. Regardless I hope that you enjoy this work as I get it done.**

 **So anyway here is the story, and as ever here is the mandatory** **Disclaimer = I own only my OCs, everything else belongs to Bethesda who created this wonderful gaming franchise.**

* * *

 **THE BEAR RISES**

 **An Elder Scrolls Skyrim Fan-Fiction**

 **Part One; Before the Storm**

 **Prologue:**

 **HOMECOMING AND NEW ARRIVALS**

15th of Last Seed, 4E202

The _Northern Maiden_ – Gjalund

The ship swayed in the water as the crew began to sail south. The island of Solstheim was behind them, and in front of them was their long journey. At the end would be the ancient city of Windhelm, the capitol of the Hold of Eastmarch in the northern province of Skyrim. Gjalund Salt-Sage was at the port side of his ship, the _Northern Maiden_ , watching as the ship sailed past some rocks. He was going back to Windhelm with some Dunmer goods to trade with at the city. Beside him stood a gruff looking Nord. The man had brown hair that came down to his shoulders, and had icy blue eyes that had seen plenty of fighting. The man was broad shouldered and muscular built. Gjalund would be nervous of this man, but he had met him a couple of months ago when he took him from Windhelm to Solstheim. The Nord was wearing steel armour in an old Nordic design, with patterns similar in shape to what is depicted on statues of the legendary Ysgramor, the warrior who led the Nords of old from their long forgotten homeland of Atmora. Under his left arm was a helm of the same steel as the rest of the armour, but forged in the shape of a bear's head. " _That would fit right in with the Stormcloaks_ ," Gjalund thought. Hanging from his left hip was a steel longsword that was also of Nordic design. What little Gjalund knew of arms and armour forged in the old Nordic design was that Nordic steel was not just made from steel but also quicksilver, and some ebony for the armour. This made them superior to regular steel, and much more durable as well. The Nord looked at him and smiled. His face had two days' worth of stubble, and his skin was weather worn from the harsh cold climate. It was much colder on Solstheim than it was in any other part of Skyrim.

"How much time until we get back?" he asked. Gjalund noticed that despite being a Nord the man's accent had a touch of Cyrodiilic in it.

"Well, as long as the sea remains as calm as this, we should be there in about two days," Gjalund answered. The man nodded his head. "Did you get the person that you were after then Rajvik?"

"Aye, I did," he answered. "Had a long bloody journey through Oblivion to get the bastard, but I got him in the end." Rajvik Ice-Bear was a young man of twenty-six years. From what Gjalund had learned on his previous trip the man was born in Whiterun on the twenty-ninth day of Sun's Height of 4E176, the year after the Great War with the Third Aldmeri Dominion had ended. He knew that Rajvik had been brought up in Bruma, the northernmost city of Cyrodiil, and had been a sell-sword for nearly a decade before coming home to Skyrim. But what Gjalund learned much later was that Rajvik was not just any other Nord; he was the Dragonborn, the hero who hunted down Alduin a few months ago and defeated him.

As the ship left the island behind them Rajvik and Gjalund walked away from the edge of the ship and went below deck. Gjalund trusted his crew to do their jobs properly, and so he decided not to stay above and boss them around. Instead he wanted to know more about Rajvik's story. He had heard much about the Dragonborn over the last few months, but he did not think to actually meet him in person. The man was just sitting down when Gjalund decided to ask him about his story. Rajvik looked at him and gave a light hearted chuckle.

"I'm afraid my story isn't that interesting my friend," he said. Gjalund opened a bottle of mead and poured the lovely liquid into two tankards. He gave one to Rajvik who then downed half of his tankard in one go. He put the tankard down and looked at Gjalund. "I had just come from Cyrodiil when Alduin returned and destroyed Helgen." Gjalund stared wide eyed at him.

"You were at Helgen when the World-Eater attacked?" he asked dumbfounded.

"Oh aye, I came close to getting my hair cut by the Imperials," Rajvik said as he brought a hand to his throat. "They were going to cut my hair right here," he said as he rested a finger on his throat. Gjalund looked confused, so Rajvik continued. "You see, I was taking this young woman named Tarra Drothyss to Whiterun. She wanted to start a new life for herself. We got into Skyrim via The Rift, and got as far as Darkwater Crossing in Eastmarch when we got caught up in the Imperial's ambush, where they captured Jarl Ulfric Stormcloak of Windhelm. I got knocked out cold and woke up on the seventeenth of Last Seed of last year, and that's when I realised that things were about to…" he paused for a moment to think of the right word, before saying, "get interesting."

* * *

17th of Last Seed, 4E201

Helgen – Rajvik

Rajvik opened his eyes and felt that his hands were bound. He was on the back of a cart that had other people on it. He saw young Tarra sat across from him, as well as other people. He looked at all of them, and noticed that most of them were dressed with blue cloth wrapped around their armour, which was chainmail with a quilted part similar to a gambeson over the top. Two others wore different clothing; one had thick leather clothing while the other had fine clothes, consisting of a doublet and fine quality leather trousers with fur lined boots. Rajvik and Tarra stood apart from them, the later with thick velvet clothes that were suitable for travel on the road. Rajvik however was wearing iron armour over his woollen underclothes, and had a thick traveller's cloak over his shoulders for warmth, fixed in place by a simple clasp to help swiftly remove it when fighting. The only thing of his missing was his longsword, whose blade was of professionally forged steel. Tarra's waist length red hair was a mess, and her dark blue eyes seemed to glow purple in the early morning sunlight.

"Ah, you're finally awake then," the Nord sat to Tarra's right said. "You and the girl were caught at Darkwater, same as us and that thief over there," he said while looking to his left, across Tarra. Rajvik looked at the man to Tarra's left; the one wearing leather.

"Skyrim was fine until you damned Stormcloaks came along," he said. "The Empire was nice and lazy. If they weren't looking for you I could have nabbed that horse and been half way to Hammerfell." The thief looked at Rajvik then. "Hey you, it's these Stormcloaks that the legionnaires want, not us and the girl here, we shouldn't be here." The other Nord laughed loudly.

"We're all brothers and sisters in bonds now thief," he said. The legionnaire at the front of the cart ordered them to be quiet, while the legionnaire on horseback beside them hit the thief on the back of the head.

"Shor's bones Ralof, hold your tongue," the legionnaire said. "I'm sick of hearing you jabbering on there." Ralof, the Nord who had been talking to Rajvik, snorted in disgust at him.

"Hold your own tongue Hadvar," he quietly said.

As the legionnaire named Hadvar rode on the horse thief looked at the man in the doublet. The man's clothes were dark, almost black. There was some bright colouring here and there, but not much. Rajvik noticed that the man had been gagged. Tarra noticed this as well and raised her eyebrows in confusion when Rajvik looked at her. The thief looked at Ralof and then began to speak to him.

"What's wrong with him?" he asked. "Does he talk too much?" Ralof glared at the thief and leaned across Tarra.

"Watch your tongue boy," he snarled lowly. "You're speaking of Ulfric Stormcloak, the true High King." The thief's face paled at Ralof's words.

"Ulfric Stormcloak? The Jarl of Windhelm?" Ulfric bowed his head in acknowledgement. "You're the leader of the rebellion. So if they've captured you…" The thief trailed off and then began to panic. Tarra looked between Ulfric and Ralof. She leaned over to Ralof.

"Why is he panicking?" she asked. Ralof stared ahead of him. Tarra looked back at Rajvik, who shook his head. After a moment Tarra looked at Ralof again. "Where are the legionnaires taking us?" Her voice was slightly high, full of fear.

"I don't know where we're going," Ralof solemnly said. "All I know is that Sovngarde awaits us." Tarra looked back to Rajvik, a look of confusion written all over her face.

"Shor's realm of Aetherius," Rajvik elaborated. "Shor is the Nordic god of the dead, and Sovngarde is his realm, where Nords who have lived and died as warriors go." At his words Tarra paled and began to tremble with fear.

The legionnaires continued on their journey to wherever they were going. Rajvik had stopped listening to the others as they kept on talking. The convoy travelled for another twenty minutes before reaching the walls of a town. A legionnaire shouted down to a General Tullius that a headsman was waiting for them, and that got the thief praying to the Divines. Ralof looked over his shoulder at the General and cursed both him and the Thalmor elves who were sat atop their horses speaking with Tullius. After a moment Ralof then told them that they were in Helgen, and he wandered off into his own memories of a better time; before the Thalmor came and the signing of the White Gold Concordat after the end of the Great War, which as well as bringing in peace also outlawed the worship of Talos, the Ninth Divine, one of the reasons for so much resentment towards both the Thalmor and the Empire of Tamriel. After a minute passed the convoy came to a halt. Rajvik quietly made his peace with the Divines, silently praying to Stendarr for swift justice upon the Empire for their crimes against their own people, and praying to Arkay to allow his soul to rest without disturbance. When Rajvik looked up he saw that Tarra was crying at her fate. The young Imperial woman had only wanted to start a new life in Skyrim, but now she would be denied that.

"Relax child," one of the Stormcloak women who shared their cart said to her. "It'll be swift and without pain, I promise." Although meant to be consoling words Tarra's weeping continued. After the carts stopped everyone got off of them and assembled near the block when their names were called. The horse thief however took off, trying to escape his fate. Archers cut him down though, just as he got maybe fifteen yards away. When every one of the Stormcloaks were assembled it was just Rajvik and Tarra left. Hadvar looked at his book and noted that they did not have names for these two.

"Who are you?" he asked. They both answered him, and he looked to his superior for what to do. "They are not on the list," he said to the woman, a Captain of the legion.

"Forget the list," she snapped. "They go to the block." Tarra shook with fear.

"No, please, I haven't done anything please," she begged.

"Yeah, and I'm the Emperor's bastard daughter by his uncle's wife," the Captain said contemptuously. Rajvik glared at the woman, his bound fists clenching hard.

"You heartless bitch," he snapped. "Oblivion take your soul." With that Rajvik turned and marched off to the others awaiting their fate. Tarra followed him, still sniffling. When they stopped Rajvik looked at Tullius who was stood with his back straight and arms folded, looking at Jarl Ulfric.

"Ulfric Stormcloak," he began, his voice full of venom when he spoke. "Some here in Helgen would call you a hero. But a hero doesn't use a power such as the Voice to murder his king and usurp the throne." Ulfric murmured, trying to speak or more likely curse the General, but with his mouth gagged he could not do anything but murmur. "You started this war when you killed Torygg, the Jarl of Haafingar and High King of Skyrim. His murder has plunged Skyrim into chaos, and so the Empire shall put you down and restore the Emperor's peace." After Tullius finished speaking there was a distant roar from far off.

"What was that?" Hadvar asked.

"It came from the Throat," another legionnaire said pointing at the mountain that loomed tall behind them. The Throat of the World, the tallest mountain in Skyrim, and indeed in all of Tamriel. Rajvik looked at the beauty of the Throat. It was very high, with its entire top half covered in snow.

"It's nothing. Carry on," Tullius said, snapping Rajvik's attention back to reality. The Captain saluted the General and then turned to a priestess of Arkay. The priestess began to give them their final rites. As she spoke Rajvik saw that the Captain had his longsword secured on her hip, beside her legion broadsword. He creased his face in anger at that, feeling a cold fury build up. Just then one of the Stormcloaks barged past him, stepping up to the block.

"For the love of Talos, just shut up and let's get this over with," the man said. The priestess stepped back, clearly shocked at the man's willingness to die. The Captain gladly pushed him onto the block as the headsman readied his axe. "Come on, I haven't got all morning," he spat out, making the man hesitate. "My ancestors are smiling at me Imperial. Can you say the same?" With that the headsman raised his axe and swung it down. The Stormcloak's head came off, falling onto the ground as his blood spurted out from the stump of his neck. Rajvik saw from the corner of his eye Tarra double over and empty her stomach. There was a lot of shouting then, the Stormcloaks roaring in anger as the peasant folk of Helgen declared the act justice. Ralof however praised his comrade's bravery. Then the Captain pointed at Rajvik, ordering him up to the block. Just as he lifted his boot there was another roar, this one closer this time.

"There it is again, do you hear it?" Hadvar spoke. The Captain was not interested and ordered Rajvik up to the block again.

Rajvik walked up to the block as the headless body was carried off. He stood before the block, facing Hadvar and giving him a glare. He felt the Captain's boot hit him behind his knee, forcing him to the ground. His head was lying down on the side, facing the headsman who was getting ready to raise his axe. Rajvik saw the tower behind the man, and as he continued to look up he saw a black shape flying high above them.

"WHAT IN OBLIVION IS THAT!?" Tullius shouted as the black shape descended from the sky. The Captain started to shout at her legionnaires, demanding to know what they were seeing. After a couple of moments the black shape landed on top of the tower, the force of its landing shaking the ground and knocking the headsman off balance. Rajvik got a good look at the beast; it was pure black, massive in size with a long tail, two large hind legs and even bigger black leathery wings. Its head was big, with a pair of black horn-like growths sprouting from above its eyebrows, and its eyes were an evil red colour that seemed to glow.

"DRAGON!" a Stormcloak shouted. Rajvik stared at the beast as it looked around at everyone in front of it. The dragon seemed to be regarding all before it, and its eyes seemed to be full of contempt.

"Nivahriin mey joor," the dragon spoke. Rajvik's eyes widened at this. He sat up and got ready to bolt. Just then the beast reared its head and roared to the sky. In that instant fire rained from the sky. When it looked back at the people it leant its head back. "FUS RO DAH!" it shouted. As it did the headsman was sent hurling back. Rajvik was knocked down as well. As he rolled onto his back, his arms outstretched above his head, he saw the headsman's axe come falling down to him. He closed his eyes, expecting to die and not wanting to see the edge of the blade slam into him. A moment later he felt the air rush by his hands and then the tightness around his wrists was gone. He looked at his hands and saw that the axe had through sheer luck cut his bonds and nothing else. Rajvik laughed hysterically as he picked himself up. He looked around him to see that it was chaotic all around him; people were running for cover while the legionnaires drew their swords and readied their bows, while the few mages amongst them started to cast spells at the dragon as it flew overhead. The Stormcloaks were left to fend for themselves as everyone else ran for their lives. Rajvik saw the Captain stomp over to Ulfric, who was struggling to cut his bonds on the edge of a sword. Seeing his chance, Rajvik stormed after the woman who was drawing _his_ sword. She brought the blade up above her head, ready to swing it down. Rajvik slammed his right shoulder into the woman, knocking her to the ground. As she fell she dropped Rajvik's sword. He rolled over the ground, grabbed his sword and stood up, holding the blade in his hands. The Captain got up onto her knees and then looked up at him and trembled slightly.

"Stupid Imperial bitch," he spat as he brought his sword up over his shoulder. The Captain began to scream, but she was cut short when Rajvik's sword cut into the side of her neck. Her helmet flew off a good five yards before it hit the ground, and when it did the Captain's head flew out next, her hair flailing about as the head rolled.

Turning around with a smug grin on his face, Rajvik saw that Ulfric had removed his bonds and was now removing the gag from his mouth. Ralof was stood over the body of a legionnaire, holding a bloodstained axe in his own free hands. Sat on her knees trembling away was Tarra, who had her head hung low. Rajvik ran to her and got her back onto her feet. She looked at him and grabbed his left arm when he pulled her away. Fire still rained from the sky though; they were reminded of that when a ball of flame slammed down a couple of feet away from them.

"HEY, KINSMAN! OVER HERE!" Ralof called out to them, standing by the door of another tower. Rajvik ran over to him, pulling Tarra with him. They got to the door and fell into the room just as Ralof slammed the door shut. "Jarl Ulfric, what was that? Could the legends really be true?" he asked. Rajvik looked up and saw the Jarl walk over to them with a dagger in his hands. He knelt down and cut Tarra's hands loose.

"Thank you," she said rather timidly.

"You're welcome," he said kindly. The man then stood and looked at Ralof. "Legends don't burn down villages," he stated as the dragon roared outside, reminding everyone of their current predicament.

* * *

15th of Last Seed, 4E202

The _Northern Maiden_ – Gjalund

Gjalund sat up in his seat as Rajvik told him of the story of what happened at Helgen. When he finished talking about Alduin's initial attack Rajvik then went on to tell Gjalund about what happened after. He told him about how they escaped the town as it was reduced to ash; how he, Ralof and Tarra stopped at Riverwood and stayed with Ralof's sister and her family while the rest of the Stormcloaks left for Windhelm with Jarl Ulfric; how Rajvik was asked by Gerdur, Ralof's sister, to travel to Whiterun and get additional men to protect their village; and how after being given a task by Balgruuf the Greater, the Jarl of Whiterun, to get a stone tablet with a map of dragon burial grounds from Bleak Falls Barrow near Riverwood for the court mage, he had returned successful and then was sent to deal with a dragon.

"That was a fight and a half," Rajvik said. Gjalund looked over to the cupboard where he had more mead stored.

"Do you want a refill?" he asked his passenger. Rajvik nodded his head and Gjalund got up and wandered over to the cupboard. "So what happened after you fought that dragon by the Western Watchtower?" he asked as he refilled their tankards.

"Well, after we downed the beast by loosing off arrows into its wings we swarmed it, hacking away at the dragon," Rajvik said as he took his tankard in hand. He took a sip before he continued. "We cut it, but it seemed that my blows did the most damage and caused it more pain. When I delivered the killing blow to its neck it screeched, and then it realised who I was. 'Dovahkiin', it stuttered before it died." Gjalund took a healthy swig of his mead while Rajvik talked. "As it died its body began to burn. The scales dropped off of it and the soft flesh ignited. Then a magical energy steamed out of its body and swirled around me. Before long all that was left of the dragon was its skeleton and the scales that fell off of it. A guardsman ran up to me and said that I was the Dragonborn. As we all walked back to Whiterun we heard thunder coming from the Throat of the World, and the Greybeards voice carried through the wind calling to me, addressing me as Dovahkiin. After that I went to Jarl Balgruuf, who rewarded me by making me a Thane of Whiterun and assigning a Housecarl to me."

Rajvik then went on to describe his journey to the Throat of the World; his travels through the Holds of Whiterun, Eastmarch and the Rift which ended at the village of Ivarstead, where Rajvik then walked up the mountain to stand before High Hrothgar, where he met the Greybeards headed by Master Arngeir. Gjalund listened as Rajvik told him of his training in the use of the Thu'um, learning how to use the ancient draconic language to cast magical powers by shouting at his foes. From there Rajvik went on to tell him about his travels to the ruin of Ustengrav where he would find the Horn of Jurgen Windcaller, and how his path led him back to Riverwood where he met a woman called Delphine, who gave him the horn before asking him to prove that he is the Dragonborn. He told Gjalund that he proved this by going with her to a dragon burial mound where they saw Alduin resurrect a dragon. Rajvik fought the dragon and killed it, and only when the dragon's body was reduced to its skeleton and scales did Delphine realise that he was indeed the Dragonborn. She had then told him that she was a Blade, and that she was trying to figure out why the dragons were coming back now. After a brief discussion they went their separate ways, Rajvik going back to High Hrothgar to complete his training with the Greybeards while Delphine went back to Riverwood, but before they parted they agreed to meet up again in a couple of weeks' time.

Rajvik took a break from telling Gjalund what happened as some of the crew brought them dinner. Their bowls were filled with some vegetables as well as pieces of beef steak. They ate their fill, enjoying the food.

"Divines that was lovely," Rajvik said ten minutes later when he put his cutlery down in the bowl.

"Aye indeed," Gjalund agreed, nodding his head. "Nothing better than decent cuts of steak with veg. Although I must say that I do prefer me some venison stew." The thought of venison made Gjalund smile. Rajvik laughed as he stood up to stretch his legs, having been sat down for too long.

"Yeah, I love venison too," he said. "A good side of venison goes well with any food, as long as it's fresh. I love nothing more than venison when it comes to my food. But I never let anyone else cook it if I'm out in the wild. I remember one time," he began as he sat back down. "I was out in the wilds in Bruma County, back in Cyrodiil. Me and some other guys were out tracking some bandits, with the promise of plenty of gold if we got them, which we did. On our way back we got some deer to butcher for our grub. One of the guys in the group hacked up the meat so much it was any wonder that we had any meat at all. But when he cooked it…" Rajvik scrunched his face up in disgust. "Worse than awful. So since then I never let anyone cook venison." Gjalund shook his head.

"Damned fools trying to be best at everything, that's what them Imperials are my friend," he said to Rajvik, who then looked at him and shook his own head.

"No this wasn't an Imperial," he said. "This was an Orc." Upon saying that Gjalund's eyes widened.

"What?" he stammered. "I thought that Orcs were better at cooking than that?" Rajvik chuckled.

"Not this one it seems," he replied. A little while after dinner Rajvik continued with his tale.

When he gave the Greybeards the horn they finished his training. After that was done he went to Riverwood to meet up with Delphine, where she told him that he was to infiltrate the Thalmor Embassy of all places to see what they knew of the dragons return. All Rajvik had learned though was that the Thalmor had no idea what was going on as well, but they were looking for a Blade called Esbern who knew much of dragons. After three, nearly four weeks of travelling Rajvik found himself in Riften, on the opposite side of Skyrim from Haafingar Hold, where the Thalmor Embassy was. Once he found Esbern they met up with Delphine and made their way to the Reach, in the west of Skyrim. There they found Sky Haven Temple, an old Blades fortress. Gjalund listened as Rajvik told him that from there he learned that the only way to defeat Alduin was with a special shout; the Dragonrend shout that was used by three heroes of the past.

"I had to go back to High Hrothgar to speak with Master Arngeir," he said. "He didn't want anything to do with that, but he eventually pointed me to Paarthurnax, the leader of the Greybeards."

"That must have been an experience," Gjalund said enviously. Rajvik laughed at that.

"You could say that," he said. "All I'll say is that I never expected to find myself learning that I needed an Elder Scroll to learn this shout, and to be told this by a dragon none the less." He took a long swig of his drink and looked at Gjalund, who stared at him.

"Paarthurnax is a dragon?" he asked wonderstruck.

"Aye," Rajvik said as he put his empty tankard down. He then continued his story, telling Gjalund that Paarthurnax sent him to the far north, where Winterhold would be found. At the mages' college there he learned of an individual who knew where to find an Elder Scroll. After finding him Rajvik gathered some friends that he had made during his short time in Skyrim. He and his companions made their way to a place that Gjalund had never heard of before called Blackreach, where after days underground battling old Dwemer constructs and the blind and ferocious Falmer they found many treasures, including an Elder Scroll. Rajvik then told of how he returned to the Throat of the World's summit and used the scroll to learn the Dragonrend shout. Right after that Alduin arrived, and Rajvik fought the beast there, using Dragonrend to bring him down. Alduin had been humbled that day, but he fled to Sovngarde to recover. Rajvik came up with a plan to get to Sovngarde by capturing a dragon at Dragonsreach, the castle at the heart of Whiterun, to interrogate it and learn how to get to Sovngarde. "When I spoke with Balgruuf he was reluctant, with the war going on," Rajvik recounted to Gjalund. "So I decided to call the leaders of the different factions in this war to meet at High Hrothgar. Master Arngeir was astonished, but agreed in the end. When the leaders gathered we began negotiations. Deals were done, people were happy, mainly Jarl Ulfric, and people were angry, mainly Tullius. But a truce was made and Balgruuf and I made our way back to Whiterun, but only after I killed Delphine."

"What?" Gjalund asked, bewildered at this confession. "Why did you kill her?"

"She learned that Paarthurnax was a dragon, and wanted him dead, but I wouldn't do that," Rajvik said. "The stubborn old Breton didn't care that he had changed over the thousands of years. We struck blows and I killed her. After that Esbern returned to Sky Haven, but not before giving me a new sword. A katana, enchanted to do more damage against dragons. When I arrived at Whiterun, Balgruuf gave me a new suit of armour, that which I'm wearing now." Rajvik put his helmet on the table in front of him as he said this. Once again Gjalund marvelled at the Nordic steel that Rajvik wore.

Rajvik continued telling the events of Dragonsreach; calling for a dragon and then trapping it; questioning it to learn how to get to Sovngarde, where he learned that he needed to go to an ancient temple called Skuldafn; and flying on the dragon's back as that was the only way to get to Skuldafn.

"That flight was magnificent I tell you," Rajvik said with a wistful voice. "Nothing quite like seeing Nirn as only a dragon can." Gjalund looked at him with pure envy. Rajvik smirked at the memory as he thought back on what happened that day, when he finally fought and defeated Alduin. "When I got to Skuldafn, I had a legion of bloody draugr to fight through, but I eventually got to the portal to Sovngarde. I had to run through the plains of that beautiful realm to avoid being killed by Alduin, but eventually I met none other than Tsun, the greatest warrior who ever lived. After testing my strength he let me cross the Whalebone Bridge and I was granted entry to the Hall of Valour. There I was met by Ysgramor himself, and I met many other legendary figures, such as Olaf One-Eye, Jurgen Windcaller, Hunroor the Agile, Ulfgar the Unending, and many others. But the most important ones were the ones who fought Alduin before; Gormlaith Golden-Hilt, Felldir the Old, and Hakon One-Eye. Together we faced Alduin outside the Hall of Valour, facing him in the Shadowed Vale. Once there we faced him for the final fight. And let me tell you Gjalund, it was a hard fight. A brief fight, but still hard."

* * *

30th of Evening Star, 4E201

Sovngarde – Rajvik

Rajvik stood with the katana held firmly in both hands, ready for Alduin to appear. The others were stood beside him; Gormlaith to his right and Felldir on his left, with Hakon on Gormlaith's right. The old heroes who fought Alduin thousands of years ago were eager to kill the dragon properly this time. Rajvik stood beside them, his heart hammering. Over the last few months he has killed several dragons, dozens of draugr and just as many bandits, as well as a few of the Thalmor. Now he is stood there waiting for the World-Eater to show himself so he can end this one way or the other.

"Once more and we shall force Alduin to face us," Felldir said as the mist formed up for a second time after they had shouted it away. The mist was Alduin's work; it shrouded around the souls wandering Sovngarde and left them helpless, making it easy for Alduin to devour them. "When you are ready Dragonborn," Felldir called out to him. Rajvik nodded his head as he stepped forward a couple of feet. He drew in a deep breath before unleashing his shout, which the other three did as well.

"LOK VAH KOOR!" they shouted, the clear skies shout dispersing the mist. This time it did not reappear, and Alduin roared in frustration. The four of them stood ready, just watching the sky above them. After a few tense moments the dragon flew into view, his wings flapping hard. Alduin flew overhead, snapping his jaws at Gormlaith like he did in the distant past. It was fighting Alduin the last time that saw Gormlaith meet her end, trying to slash at his throat only to end up being caught in his massive jaws and crushed, her body broken by the force of the beast's jaws. This time she dived out of the way, rolling onto her feet.

"NOW!" Rajvik bellowed at them once Gormlaith stood up. All of them looked at Alduin and shouted at the same time.

"JOOR ZAH FRUL!" their voices thundered, the power of their Thu'um bringing Alduin crashing down to the ground. The beast roared as it ploughed into the earth, and soon it screamed in pain as its left wing slammed into a large rock, breaking it in the process. Alduin struggled to his feet and glared at Rajvik and the others as they ran to him.

"Bein jul. Nu hin tiid fent oblaan," Alduin said. Rajvik slashed at him with his katana, the edge of the sword slicing through the hard scales. Gormlaith and Hakon lunged at him, striking with their swords as well, while Felldir cast some lightning spells at him. Alduin however was not done yet. He snapped his jaws at Hakon, one of his teeth catching his arm and scarring him. Rajvik thrust his sword for Alduin's neck but he raised his head and then slammed his head down on top of him, pushing him to the ground. "I will destroy you, Dovahkiin," he said as he stepped forward, intending to crush Rajvik beneath him. Rajvik rolled out of the way just in time. He stood up and slashed the katana upwards, catching Alduin's belly. He cut deep into the soft flesh beneath the scales, and Alduin cried out in pain. Before Rajvik could do anything else he felt the dragon's tail swing into him, sending him flying across the field. Rajvik landed with a dull thud on solid rock, his armour clanging as he landed.

Rajvik lay on the ground in a daze, just watching as the others fought Alduin. Every now and then Rajvik heard them use the Dragonrend shout to weaken him, but despite that the dragon kept on fighting. Alduin shouted at them occasionally, either fire breath or unrelenting force. After watching the fight for several minutes Rajvik stood up again, pain shooting up his back. He glared at Alduin as he swung his tail hard into Felldir, hurtling him into the rocks not far behind. Hakon struck at the dragon, swinging his greatsword from left to right, the edge carving into the beast's scales. But Alduin just laughed before snapping his jaws at him again. Hakon jumped back this time while Gormlaith rushed at Alduin, swinging her sword onto his nose. Her blade cut the tip of the nose, and Alduin growled in pain before snapping at Gormlaith, his teeth grazing her armour, putting some new dents into it. Rajvik charged at him while he was distracted; he had to end this fight, or Alduin would heal and then try to escape. When he was five feet away Rajvik drew in a deep breath as Alduin raised his head for a shout.

"FUS RO DAH!" he bellowed, his shout sending Alduin's body upwards a few feet. Rajvik ran forward and when he was right under him he thrust his katana up as gravity did its work and Alduin's body came down. The steel of the katana sliced into Alduin's body, and the body came down to the cross guard. Alduin shrieked in anger and began to shake his entire body, rising up and lifting Rajvik from his feet. He kept a firm hold on the hilt, but eventually he was thrown off.

Landing on his side, the wind being knocked right out of him, Rajvik saw Gormlaith sprinting at the World-Eater as he began to shake his body in a bid to loosen the katana from him. Gormlaith slashed at the inside of his legs, but all that did was annoy Alduin, who shouted unrelenting force at her. Gormlaith was pushed into the ground, her sword flying out of her grip. Hakon stabbed at Alduin, aiming for his belly, but his blade slid across the surface. Alduin kicked out and sent Hakon sprawling to the ground. Felldir cast a frost spell at the dragon, and Alduin reared his body up. Instead of hitting him the frost spell hit the hilt of the katana embedded in him. Rajvik watched as the hilt froze, and Alduin screamed in pain. Standing up with a great deal of effort due to the pain over his body, Rajvik looked at Felldir.

"Dragonrend!" he yelled at the older man, who nodded. Felldir looked at Alduin and shouted Dragonrend at him. The shout weakened the dragon further, forcing a louder cry from him as the pain he no doubt felt intensified from the effects of Dragonrend. Alduin shouted towards the sky in pain and anger, and that was when Rajvik struck. "FUS RO DAH!" he shouted once more. The shockwave of magical force hit Alduin right in the chest, and pushed the katana further into him, the cross guard disappearing beneath the scales. Alduin began to scream in agony. His body dropped to the ground, but he held his body up with his wings. Seizing his chance Rajvik sprinted towards the dragon. When he was underneath him he jumped up and grabbed the hilt of the katana with both hands, and gravity did the rest.

Rajvik dropped to the ground with the katana in his hands, and Alduin's shrieks of agony got louder. Looking up at the ancient beast as it writhed in pain above him, Rajvik stepped back from him. The others eventually managed to stagger away as well. Alduin began to stagger back too, his entire body convulsing as light began to shine from his many wounds. The dragon began to scream out in its draconic tongue, its voice shrill and high pitched. After a few moments his scales exploded from his body, and the soft flesh beneath was exposed. For a few moments the flesh smouldered, and then Alduin roared in pain one last time. After that the beast's body violently exploded, and the sound of his death echoed across Sovngarde. Rajvik watched in awe as after a few minutes a sense of calm and peace settled around him, and a moment later that peace was broken by the sounds of cheering. Turning around Rajvik saw Gormlaith, Hakon and Felldir clapping their hands and cheering in admiration and joy. Behind them others had left the Hall of Valour and gathered, and they too began to cheer. Tsun stood there at the front, his big trunk-like arms folded over his bare barrel of a chest and smiling wide at him. Rajvik stood and watched the long dead warriors and heroes of old as they cheered and chanted 'Dragonborn'. And for the first time since he came home to Skyrim he felt that he could finally get some peace and quiet, for the dragons were now defeated. Alduin World-Eater is dead, and Rajvik's long journey was at an end.

* * *

15th of Last Seed, 4E202

The _Northern Maiden_ – Gjalund

"Or at least, that particular journey had ended," Rajvik said as he took the refilled tankard in his hand. He took a long swig of the mead as Gjalund sat back down on his chair. Rajvik's story left Gjalund feeling a sense of wonderment and some disbelief. The tale did seem unreal at times, especially in regards to the final fight against Alduin being fought in Sovngarde.

"How did you get back home though?" Gjalund asked. "If you were in Sovngarde it would have been difficult to get home." Rajvik nodded with a slight chuckle.

"Aye it would've been difficult to get home," he said. "But fortunately for me Tsun had the power to send me back here. He gave me one parting gift though; a shout to use when I am in dire need of help, to summon a great hero from Sovngarde to lend aid to me." Gjalund sat further back into his chair. This tale just seems so surreal to him, almost unbelievable. Rajvik leant forward, resting his elbows on his knees and his chin onto one hand while the other held his tankard. "When I returned to Nirn I found that I had been sent to the summit of the Throat, and all around me were dragons. Dozens of the beasts, all chanting in their ancient tongue. At first I thought I was going to be sent back to Sovngarde, but then I realised that they were roaring a death chant for their fallen leader. Soon after that they began to fly off. Paarthurnax spoke with me briefly, and he too left for pastures new, promising to lead his brethren down his path, to teach them to be peaceful. Of course not all of them shall do so; I have after all had to kill three or four dragons since killing Alduin, but their presence is not as prevalent as it was when they initially came back. After Paarthurnax left with most of the dragons, flying north with them, Odahviing came to me and practically swore himself into my service if I should ever need him." Gjalund stared open mouthed at Rajvik when he said that. Learning that the Dragonborn had the loyalty of a dragon was quite shocking to hear, even if it was the same dragon that he had captured at Dragonsreach.

With his tale finished Rajvik stood up from his seat and declared that he was going to get some sleep. Gjalund stood up as well and followed him to his cabin, which he had given to Rajvik for the journey. He knew that Rajvik had a long adventure back on Solstheim, but he was sure that he would not learn anything about it for now. All Gjalund knows is that he took Rajvik to the island two months ago to track down a man who sent some cultists to try and kill him. There were some strange goings on happening around the town of Raven Rock, a settlement given to the Dark Elves nearly two hundred years ago when neighbouring Morrowind was devastated by the eruption of Red Mountain on the island of Vvardenfell, which decimated the land. Gjalund had heard that Rajvik was going around Solstheim helping folk while trying to find the man responsible for ordering his murder, and there was some rumour of a Lord Miraak being involved in Solstheim's troubles. When Gjalund returned to the island four days ago everything seemed to be back to normal, with people no longer complaining about any problems, some talk of a Dunmer family being destroyed for trying to assassinate Councillor Lleril Morvayn, the man (or rather elf) who runs Raven Rock, and the troubles with the Ash Spawn that were harassing the folk of Raven Rock were ended as well. Once they were at the door to the cabin Rajvik entered, bid Gjalund good night and then retired for the night. Gjalund left and wandered above deck to see that his crew were hard at work. He walked up to where Sogrlaf, one of his crew, was standing. The man greeted him and told Gjalund that everything was well. He looked out to sea, and was sure that everything would be fine. The niggling feeling he had felt when he sailed back to Solstheim a few days ago was no longer there; whatever was going on was resolved, and Gjalund could rest easy. He looked forward to returning to Windhelm, and prayed to Kynareth for a swift and safe journey.

* * *

17th of Last Seed, 4E202

Whiterun – Tarra

An entire year has passed since Helgen; a year since Tarra and Rajvik escaped death and fled the Imperials with Ralof along with his fellow Stormcloaks and their leader Jarl Ulfric. Even now she still cannot believe that she was nearly beheaded by her own people. Tarra had been a loyal servant of the Empire since she was a little girl, but the Legion's stance on killing anyone who was caught at Darkwater had shaken her belief in the Empire. She was not bothered by the banning of Talos worship like the Nords are, but even she knew that it was wrong of the Empire to bow so meekly all those years ago. For the last year though she has busied herself with working in the city of Whiterun, helping out at the Temple of Kynareth. Being trained in the use of magic Tarra spent much time using her spells to heal others. It helped to take her mind off of what happened last year with the dragons returning. After Rajvik had ended the threat of Alduin the war in Skyrim seemed to cease, and a dialogue had opened between the Empire and the Stormcloaks. That all ended when a cousin of the Emperor, a woman called Vittoria Vici, was murdered at her own wedding up in Solitude. Her fiancé was a Nord with strong Stormcloak leanings, and her death seemed to restart the hostilities. There were of course many theories on who could be responsible; some said the Dark Brotherhood were behind it while others said it was the work of the Daedra; some pointed to Stormcloaks wanting the war to continue, as others blamed someone working for the Empire to try and catch the Emperor's attention to the conflict; and other people mentioned what seemed to be the most popular theory, that the Thalmor were behind it.

Vittoria Vici's murder was at the end of Rain's Hand, just over three months ago. The war continued after that, and so more people were being brought to the Temple of Kynareth for healing. Tarra sat beside a young man of the Legion who had a serious cut on his leg. Part of her wanted to leave the man to suffer for a bit longer, but Tarra decided against such thoughts; this legionnaire was not responsible for her being captured and nearly executed, and it was not fair for her to let him suffer. She cast her spell and concentrated on healing the wounded leg. A Stormcloak had hacked an axe at the legionnaire and caught the inside of his thigh; if the blow had been any further to the groin then it would have been fatal. The man groaned as the magic flowed through his leg, the muscle knitting together again as the flesh sealed; any severed blood vessels would be reconnected and a small scar would be the only reminder of the injury.

"There we are, all done," she said when the wound had closed up. The legionnaire winced slightly as he sat up. The man was from Cyrodiil, probably from the Imperial City itself judging by his accent.

"Could you not have healed the skin so I don't have a scar?" he asked petulantly. Tarra stood up and huffed in annoyance.

"I'm good at healing wounds, but when it comes to healing scars away you had better look elsewhere," she snapped. The legionnaire glared at her.

"You wouldn't dare speak back to me like that if we were back in Cyrodiil," he replied. Tarra hated his whiny voice. She could tell the man was probably highborn, perhaps from a lesser noble family or the youngest son with nothing to inherit. "Back there you would only be fit to warm my bed, and then when I'm there…" Tarra looked horrified at him for such a remark. Without thinking she drew her dagger and pressed it against his throat. The legionnaire's attitude changed then as he felt cold iron on his neck.

"You dare," she hissed. "I heal your injuries out of the goodness of my heart, and you dare to make such a remark?" The man began to shake, visibly afraid of what Tarra could do to him. "Do I look like some common whore to you boy? If we were in Morrowind, my father's homeland, you would know better than to be so disrespectful to me. Do not ever come back here again, or by Stendarr I shall make you suffer for your arrogance." The legionnaire ran out when Tarra took her blade away. When he was gone she sheathed the blade and sat down, trying to calm herself.

After several minutes Tarra stood up and walked out of the Temple, bidding goodnight to Danica and the others before leaving and walking back to Breezehome. The small house was the home of Rajvik, which he has shared with Tarra since not long after they arrived in Whiterun. Currently Tarra was sharing the house with Lydia, Rajvik's Housecarl, or bodyguard. She had been wounded by some cultists a couple of months ago when they tried to murder Rajvik. Rajvik travelled to Solstheim by himself, leaving Lydia at Breezehome to recover. Tarra liked Lydia, not just because she was a strong woman who was skilled with a sword, but because she was a kind hearted person as well. Lydia was an adventurer for many years until she was captured by bandits a few years ago. While she was their captive she was subjected to torture on a daily basis, but she did not break. However she had at the end come close to being raped by one of the bandits, but he let his guard down, which let Lydia get the upper hand. After killing the man she had gathered her belongings and killed the remaining bandits as they slept before leaving their camp in flames and running for the nearest settlement. Lydia's story had left Tarra reeling. This Nord woman had come close to suffering a horrific fate, but with some luck she had escaped and managed to get on with life. Not many people knew of Lydia's past, and Tarra and Rajvik were among the few to know it. But despite such a horrible ordeal that could have gotten worse Lydia came out stronger for it, and her kind nature was not changed either. Lydia is a skilled warrior who can disembowel and decapitate with ease, but she is also a motherly sort to children, especially the orphans running around Whiterun. One such orphan, Lucia, is forever running after Lydia when she sees her. Every time a child approaches her Lydia always gives them attention, paying them compliments and giving them sweetrolls and other such treats when she has them. Children always seem to bring a smile to Lydia's face.

As Tarra approached Breezehome the front door opened to reveal Hrongar, the younger brother of Jarl Balgruuf. He looked at Tarra and nodded at her before leaving the house. Tarra entered and closed the door behind her. Upon entry she saw some of Lydia's clothes lying on the ground. Amused at what she is sure has just happened, Tarra walks up to the stairs and climbs to the upper level.

"By Dibella, aren't you insatiable Hrongar," Lydia called out, her voice breathless. Tarra smirked.

"Sadly I'm not Hrongar," Tarra said. Lydia groaned as she walked into the room. Lydia lay completely naked on the double bed, the sheets heaped onto the floor. "I'm sure Rajvik won't be too impressed to see his bed being used in such a way by his Housecarl," she said with a giggle. "You could at least have gotten changed before Hrongar left." Lydia smiled widely, despite going red in the cheeks.

"Yeah well that would mean getting out of bed and attracting Hrongar's attention," she said. "I'm sure you can understand that the sight of a naked woman makes any man feel hot desire, and men like Hrongar, well…" Lydia trailed off, making Tarra chuckle.

"Rajvik may be back any day now," she said as she turned her back to Lydia. "So you had better start finding somewhere else to enjoy your bed-sport with the Jarl's younger brother." Lydia snorted.

"When did you become my mother?" she japed as she walked past Tarra to go and get her clothes back on.

For the next couple of hours Tarra and Lydia cleaned the house up for Rajvik's return. It was a job made easier when Lucia wandered in and offered to help. Despite being an orphan Lucia was very grown up, and seemed quite happy with her life. She was homeless for a short time until she had been offered a bed by the Grey-Manes, one of the influential families living in Whiterun. The little girl is forever helping her adoptive family as well as others. After cleaning the bedroom Tarra sat down while Lucia helped herself to some sweetrolls that were on the table. Lydia had just finished the small storeroom at the back of the house when there was a knock on the door.

"Enter!" Lydia boomed as she walked into the centre of the living room with her longsword drawn. The front door opened and revealed a city-guardsman with his hand resting on the hilt of his sword.

"Pardon the intrusion Housecarl, but the Jarl has asked for Lady Drothyss's presence at Dragonsreach," he said. Tarra stood up and looked at the man, her brows raised in confusion.

"What could the Jarl need from me?" she asked.

"I've no idea my lady," the man responded. Lydia looked back at her.

"It could be anything Tarra," she said to her. "But whatever it is it would be impolite to keep the Jarl waiting." Tarra nodded her head to Lydia and after getting changed into her finer velvet clothing she followed the guardsman, who had waited outside, to the castle at the other end of the city. The walk took nearly an hour with the streets being quiet, but by the end of it Tarra was grateful to be at the ancient castle.

Tarra was escorted by a castle guard to the war room which serves as the main meeting room, located on the upper floor and behind the great hall. In the middle of the room was Jarl Balgruuf the Greater, with his Housecarl Irileth stood beside him as well as the castle steward Proventus Avenicci. Tarra approached them when the guardsman announced her presence. Balgruuf looked at her and nodded to her.

"Welcome my lady," he said. "Thank you for coming here at such short notice. Normally I wouldn't trouble you on such a matter, but we cannot wait for Thane Rajvik to return." Tarra stepped closer to the table and noticed that there was another man in the room. He had shoulder length blond hair that was braided on either side to keep his hair out of his face, and had blue eyes. Facially he looked similar to Rajvik, but his features were softer. Also the man was not as broad shouldered as Rajvik. When Tarra looked back at Balgruuf he cleared his throat. "This man here claims to be Rajvik's kin," he said.

"His cousin, actually," the man interrupted. Irileth glared at him, but the man paid no notice as he stepped towards the table. "Both of our fathers are brothers. My name is Merrik Ice-Bear. I'm a merchant from Bruma, and I'm hoping that Rajvik would vouch for me." Merrik's voice had an obvious hint of Cyrodiilic when he spoke, much like Rajvik. The man stood tall and proud, but did not seem like a typical Nord.

"I remember Rajvik telling me about an older cousin of his who always got him into trouble as a child," Tarra said as she tried to remember what Rajvik told her about his family. "He said the cousin always got into fights too, because he thought he was stronger due to him being five years older." Merrik looked confused at her.

"Five years..? I just turned twenty-eight today, and I'm only two years older than Rajvik," he protested. Tarra smiled.

"I know you are," she said, earning confused looks from everyone in the room. "Rajvik told me about you when we travelled to Skyrim last year. I never told anyone else what he told me, so I know you would only confirm the truth by correcting my deliberate mistake." While Irileth smiled in understanding of Tarra's reasoning the others were still confused.

"Well, if I was an imposter then I could easily have tortured the real me as it were to give me such information," Merrik said. Tarra shrugged her shoulders.

"Rajvik will reveal all when he returns," Irileth said. "I was trained many years ago by the Morag Tong, so if you had indeed done as you've suggested then I would see right through it." Merrik visibly flinched when the Dunmer mentioned Morrowind's infamous assassins' guild. Once Irileth fell silent the Jarl cleared his throat once more to draw everyone's attention.

"Now that that is cleared up, Lady Tarra," Balgruuf began, turning to face Tarra. "Young Merrik here has arrived to open up a new mine in the Hold. He has just asked permission from me directly to obtain rights to build said mine, and I have need of your input in regards to the location." Tarra was stunned at this.

"You want… my input, my Jarl?" she stammered. Balgruuf nodded his head.

"We have some locations planned already, but there is one location that I would like you to give your opinion about. Specifically this location." Balgruuf pointed his finger on the map of the Hold of Whiterun. Tarra looked at the map and saw that he was pointing at two old abandoned towers many miles to the east of the city.

"Valtheim Towers?" she muttered. Tarra looked back up to Balgruuf, who was looking patiently at her. Tarra drew in a long breath. "Well, myself and Rajvik passed through there once with Lydia, Rajvik's Housecarl. That time it was occupied by a group of eight bandits who were forcing an unlawful toll on people passing through. The three of us killed the bandits and left the place empty of all life." Tarra paused to look over the map, thinking about that time when she and Rajvik were there. "I do remember seeing some veins of ore on the north side of the White River, and I took a closer look and saw what looked like corundum and iron that the bandits had mined from the site. If memory serves that place has recently been occupied by your own Hold-guard." Balgruuf nodded his head.

"I had ordered my workers to drag stone from the destroyed western watch tower to Valtheim to start reinforcing the structure and to build a new keep," the Jarl said. "Just before the war resumed I had hoped to turn it into a new town thanks to an increase in revenue after Rajvik got both sides to sit down and talk. Now with the conflict flaring up again I am forced to turn it into a military structure, but with Merrik here, along with the coin he brought with him…" Balgruuf trailed off and looked at the man. Merrik looked between Balgruuf and Tarra, trying to comprehend what has just been said.

"What about my coin?" he asked after a long pause. Balgruuf just smiled widely.

"We can turn the keep into a walled town with a nearby mine, and leave further details to Rajvik," Balgruuf said, this time leading to Tarra looking confused.

"My Jarl?" she asked as she looked at him.

"I won't lie to you Lady Tarra," Balgruuf began. "With the Reach being given to the Stormcloaks as part of the negotiations held by Rajvik before the end of last year, I have had to keep my eye to my western borders. The Stormcloaks have the silver mines of Markarth, which gives them more wealth than before. The Pale may have been handed to the Empire, giving the Legion the port at Dawnstar, but I have now got to watch from two opposite directions; west, towards the Reach, and east, to Eastmarch. With Rajvik being on good terms with Ulfric, I am convinced that I would only have to watch my west. Irileth and Proventus may disagree with me, saying that Rajvik could not stop Ulfric if he attacked, but I am certain that the respect between them is such that Ulfric will never attack Rajvik's home. And I know that Rajvik would never betray me. He may have sympathies with the Stormcloaks cause, but he would not stab me in the back." At that Irileth made an offhand comment about Nords and their honour which made Tarra snigger. Balgruuf ignored the remark though, and continued. "The new keep is already built, and I have a stone wall built on the east side with a solid gate made of oak. The western wall is under construction as we speak, as well as three more buildings, one along the road by the south tower and the other two just across the road. The keep is built west of the south tower, and is twice the size of that tower. It has a spacious ground floor hall with kitchens on one side and a library on the other, and on the upper floor there is the bedrooms for the inhabitants. With that it is an ideal site to hold as a border garrison, but that could invite unwanted military action from the Stormcloaks." Tarra nodded her head in understanding then, knowing what Balgruuf was wanting.

"But by making it a Thane's keep, you hope to hold Jarl Ulfric off by giving it to a Thane that you trust, who also happens to be on positive terms with the Jarl of Eastmarch," Tarra finished for him. Balgruuf nodded.

"Exactly. And if Merrik here is indeed Rajvik's kin, then we have more money to use without emptying our own coffers." Merrik seemed perturbed by Balgruuf's announcement, but he held his silence. "Now we just need to speak to Rajvik, and then we can get this sorted. In the meantime Merrik, you and your family can stay at the Bannered Mare Inn at the expense of the city."

* * *

18th of Last Seed, 4E202

Whiterun – Rajvik

The journey from Windhelm to Whiterun was nearly two days. Rajvik left Windhelm at midday and rode at a steady pace for much of the day, deciding to stop at the old Valtheim Towers along the way. To his surprise the old towers were the site of a new keep and small village being built by Jarl Balgruuf's orders. The workers did not know who would be housed there but there was some talk of placing more guardsmen at that part of the border. Some also said that Balgruuf had finally grown tired of his brother and so was giving him a new keep to defend. That tale made some sense to Rajvik. After spending the night there Rajvik got up and resumed his ride back to Whiterun. He had spent the last four hours on the road, and was eager to get some rest at Breezehome. Now the city was in sight. Rajvik smiled as he spurred his horse onwards; it had been ten weeks since he had last been in Whiterun, but it still seemed to be the same old city that it was. The building work at Valtheim was the only thing that appeared to be new in Skyrim as far as Rajvik could tell.

Rajvik was just riding past Chillfurrow farm when he noticed some guardsmen marching up to him. At their head was his Housecarl, Lydia. She walked with a slight limp but otherwise seemed to have healed from her injury from when Miraak's cultists attacked him just over two months ago. Lydia was wearing Nordic steel armour, which was very much the same as the armour that Rajvik was wearing just now, but with a subtly different pattern to the intricate Nordic designs on the armour. In place of her usual longsword Lydia had a war axe forged from refined malachite, which made it look like it was glass (hence why weapons and armour forged from malachite were commonly called 'glass' weapons and armour).

"Honour to you my Thane," Lydia greeted Rajvik as he stopped his horse.

"Good afternoon Lydia," he responded. "I'm surprised at such a welcoming committee. I'm not being arrested for something now, am I?" he japed. Lydia smirked while the guardsmen directly behind her looked at each other in confusion, having not realised that he was joking.

"Far from it Rajvik," she answered. "The Jarl of Whiterun has expressed his desire to meet with you at Dragonsreach with all due haste. He wishes to have a discussion in regards to some… sensitive matters, shall we say." Rajvik looked at her as she gave her cryptic response. After a moment Rajvik dismounted his horse and walked the rest of the way to the front gate of the city, stopping at the stables to entrust his horse into the care of the stable master. As soon as they were at the gate Rajvik turned to Lydia.

"So what's new in Whiterun then?" he asked her. Lydia looked at Rajvik and gave him a shrug of her shoulders.

"Not a lot I'm afraid," she answered. "But there was some new comer that went straight to the Jarl. A few hours after he arrived the Jarl sent for Tarra." Rajvik looked at her when she mentioned Tarra.

"That seems unusual," he said. Lydia hummed in agreement. Once the gates to the city were opened Rajvik and Lydia walked through, escorted by a dozen Whiterun guardsmen. The walk itself was shorter than usual, but only because a path had been cleared for the group. After nearly an hour Rajvik found himself being escorted directly to the war room where Balgruuf was to be found. The older man was sat on his chair listening to his daughter Dagny talking about whatever problems she had now.

"… and I'm sick of these poor excuse imitation sweetrolls that are being baked and sold here," she whined. The young girl's dark brown hair was in a right mess; no doubt she had gotten herself into a fight with one of her brothers again. "And why does that bastard always have to be so…"

"Dagny! Never call your brother that," Balgruuf snapped at his child. "Nelkir may not be born from your mother but he is still your brother. Now that'll be enough from you. Go back to your rooms until dinner." With that the young girl stomped off in a huff. Balgruuf leant onto the table and rested his head on his hands. "Shor's bones, why does raising children have to be so bloody harder than fighting at war?" Rajvik smirked at the Jarl's comment.

"Personally I wouldn't know, otherwise I'd impart some wisdom to you my Jarl," he said as he took a step closer to Balgruuf. Balgruuf looked up and smiled at him.

"Ah welcome home Rajvik," he said as he stood up from his chair. "It's good to see you again, although you could've come in more appropriate attire." Rajvik looked down at his armour and shrugged his shoulders lazily.

"When have I ever been one to dress in 'proper' attire?" Both men laughed at the light hearted jape. After they finished laughing they both sat down and relaxed as a servant poured them some mead. Once their cups were full they took a drink and began to discuss what happened on Solstheim. After Rajvik finished talking about his latest adventures Balgruuf breathed a deep sigh.

"It seems to me that you could do with a long rest," he said.

"I'll agree with that," Rajvik replied as he sat further back into the chair. "So anyway Balgruuf, what's with the construction work at Valtheim?" The Jarl's face grew brighter at the change of subject, yet at the same time more serious.

"That, is your new home," he said. Rajvik stared at him blankly, taking in his Jarl's words. "It will be a small village for now, with your keep and three houses, one of which could be turned into a tavern. There is plenty of land around to build a few more buildings, and with the nearby bridge joining the towers on either side of the White River an easy access for miners." Rajvik raised an eyebrow at that.

"Miners?" he repeated before taking a swig of his mead. "I do remember Tarra saying something about seeing some mined ore the last time we were there." Rajvik saw the thoughtful look on Balgruuf's face as he spoke. "But those towers are close to a site where giants gather, which will cause innumerable headaches for whoever has to live there. There's also the lack of money on my part to run the day to day affairs of a keep, let alone a small town." As he finished speaking Rajvik heard a familiar sound from behind him.

"You leave the running of the place to me cousin, as well as the money side of things," the voice said. Rajvik's eyes widened. He looked over his shoulder and saw a face he has not seen in over a year.

"Merrik!" he stammered as his elder cousin wandered over to him with a wide smile on his soft face. "You little skeever butt, when did you get here?" he asked as he got up from his seat to embrace Merrik. The two men embraced each other in a tight bear hug.

"I arrived two weeks ago," Merrik answered as they let go of each other. "Me and my wife and kids came up here after hearing about you being a hero of some kind. Of course I never believed a word of it until I talked to enough folk, and when I heard you had been named a Thane of Whiterun around this time last year I just had to find you in hope that you could be of help in making me more money." Rajvik rolled his eyes at that last remark.

"You mean making _us_ more money," he corrected. Merrik shook his head slightly and sighed.

"Well yeah, I mean that as well," he said. "But it seems that a good large chunk of my personal wealth is going to be appropriated for this new settlement that Jarl Balgruuf has planned. A nearby site that seems suitable for mining does sound like good compensation though." Rajvik snorted at his cousin then.

"So long as you make several Septims, you're happy," he muttered. Balgruuf coughed loudly to gain their attention. Rajvik turned to look at him and upon seeing the impatient look on his face bowed apologetically. The two cousins sat down in front of Balgruuf who then clasped his hands in front of him. "So, a mine just north of the White River, a small town with a keep and wall south of it, and located just on the border between Whiterun Hold and Eastmarch." Rajvik leaned forward, ready to hear him out. Balgruuf nodded his head.

"Yes Rajvik," he said. "With you over there I don't have to worry so much about Ulfric attacking Whiterun from the east. I know that he would never attack you. The man respects you too much, to the point that you would have to personally dishonour him to make him want to attack you."

"And you happen to know this because?" Rajvik asked. Balgruuf smiled then.

"High Hrothgar," he simply said. Rajvik understood then; before and after the peace summit held at High Hrothgar Balgruuf spoke with the people who gathered there.

"You and Ulfric spoke with each other about me, didn't you?" he asked. Balgruuf chuckled.

"Of course. Ulfric and I may have our differences, but I can still talk to him in a civilised manner. He told me himself how he has the utmost respect for you, saying that he would never bring harm to you unless you were to do so first." Rajvik grimaced at the revelation. It was both comforting and disturbing to know that he was respected in such a way by Jarl Ulfric; comforting because Ulfric would never bring war to his doorstep, and disturbing because it was for that reason that Balgruuf was putting him there, to effectively act as a shield.

"Even so cousin, think of all the gold you… I mean, we will bring in with a mine of our own," Merrik piped in before Rajvik could even think of a word of protest. "Iron, corundum, and Divines only know what else." Rajvik sighed upon hearing his cousin's words. This new keep was as much a reward for him as it was a money making venture for Merrik. Rajvik new the political side of it as well; putting him there on the border between Whiterun and Eastmarch prevented Ulfric from so much as marching into Balgruuf's lands, and with the Forsworn in the Reach it was unlikely that the Stormcloaks would attack Whiterun any time soon.

Rajvik stood up from his seat and began to pace around the war room. It was more than just a reward; it was an honour. After he defeated Alduin at the end of last year, Rajvik swore himself to Balgruuf's service. He has travelled across the Hold of Whiterun, dealing with bandits and any problems the peasants had plaguing them. His name was on the lips of many. Everyone spoke of him fondly, even beyond Whiterun. He had the friendship of Jarl Balgruuf, and the respect of Jarl Ulfric, but he also had more than just that. He had the respect and friendship of Mjoll the Lioness, the self-appointed defender of Riften, after reuniting her with her sword and fighting beside her when he asked her to help with his journey to Blackreach; he had the gratitude of Elisif the Fair, the widow of King Torygg and Jarl of Solitude, after dealing with sorcerers who had tried to summon the long dead Potema (a Queen of Skyrim and daughter of an Emperor of the deceased Septim line of Emperors) and then killed her after she tried to regain corporeal form beneath Solitude, ending the threat of her return and the summoning of an undead army; he had the trust of young Erik, whom he and Tarra met and helped to become a sell-sword, and had hired to assist at Blackreach when trying to find the Elder Scroll that would help him learn the Dragonrend shout; and most recently he had the favour of Councillor Lleril Morvayn of Raven Rock after saving him from an assassination plot by a rival family that he had wiped out. Rajvik had respect, friendship, trust, gratitude and favour from many during his time in Skyrim. In all his twenty-six years he never once thought to be where he was now. He has gone from common sell-sword to Thane, to Dragonborn, to saviour; he would be a fool to pass up such an opportunity.

After pacing for what seemed like a long time Rajvik turned to Balgruuf and Merrik. He looked at his Jarl before looking at his cousin. He knew what this meant; not just being a 'shield' against Ulfric, whom he admired, but also being a leader of his own town one day. He had the respect, the trust, and he had the friends to help him. It also helped that his cousin had come along, and Merrik was good with coin. It was a huge responsibility, but maybe now was the right time to settle down.

"How many bedrooms does the keep have?" he asked. Balgruuf shifted in his seat before answering.

"Four," he answered. "One for you, one for Merrik and his wife and children, and two spare rooms. All of them have screens to give people privacy, helpful for Merrik and his family." Rajvik nodded and looked to his cousin.

"I suppose you'll only settle for being my steward then Merrik?" he asked him. Merrik smiled wide; any job that meant handling the money and the day to day affairs of a business kept him happy. " _Good to see that much hasn't changed with you,_ " Rajvik thought.

"Steward might not be as glorious as being a Thane, but then again I have never been good with a blade," Merrik said. Rajvik smirked before turning to look out of a window.

"We could do with a tavern with a shop nearby," Rajvik started. "We could also do with a blacksmith's for repairing tools and weapons, as well as selling such. That would leave one house for now to be used as a house." Rajvik heard movement and the scraping of a chair behind him. He did not need to see to know that it was Balgruuf who was standing up.

"So you will take this gift that I offer you?" he asked in his Jarl's voice. Rajvik looked back at him and smiled.

"I will need to think of a name for the keep and the town," he said as he turned around fully.

"Why not just Valtheim Keep or similar?" Merrik asked. Rajvik looked at him before answering.

"Valtheim is the name of the towers situated at that part along the White River. The towers will retain the name they already have, but we'll need a name for the keep." Merrik looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Bear's Holdfast?" he suggested, to which Rajvik shook his head.

"Even though our old clan's name is Ice-Bear, the bear is too closely associated with the Stormcloaks, being the banner of Windhelm and part of one of Ulfric's monikers," he replied. Merrik shrugged his shoulders before thinking again.

"Dragon's Bane Keep?" was his next suggestion. Rajvik shook his head. "Why not? In fact no, don't bother answering. I'll thing of something." Balgruuf laughed at Merrik.

"Well there is no need to rush," he said. "You'll have plenty of time to decide upon a name for the place. But I'm glad that you accept this Rajvik."

"I swore myself to your service Balgruuf," Rajvik responded. "It would be rude of me to refuse this." Balgruuf smiled at him before he stepped away to the table where a map of Skyrim would be found.

"You will still have Breezehome to use as you see fit," Balgruuf said as he approached the table. "You can take whoever you wish to take, within reason of course. Lady Tarra will no doubt go where you go, as will Lydia. Others from the city, well I will need to have a say depending on their professions. But other than that you can decide on what you do and don't need." The older man had a broad smile on his face as he looked down at the map. Rajvik watched him as he traced his fingers along the map, no doubt tracing the line of the Hold's border as represented on the map.

"We should probably let the workers finish doing the houses before going to settle down at the keep," Rajvik said. Merrik rose up from his seat and wandered over to where Rajvik stood. "I'll give it a couple of weeks before heading out there, that should give me time to decide on who to take with me." Balgruuf nodded his head.

"A wise decision Rajvik," he said. "For now though, let's join our Housecarls and go to the Bannered Mare for a feast. Hulda has got quite a lot of food and mead tonight. I was planning on having the celebration of Rajvik's victory over the dragon that he killed last year at the ruined watchtower," he said by way of explanation to Merrik. "But that was supposed to be held on the twenty-third of this month, which was the day last year that Rajvik killed the beast. But I decided to hold it early." Rajvik looked at the Jarl.

"How many people are expected to turn up?" he asked. Balgruuf chuckled.

"Just me, Irileth, Hrongar, Lydia, you, Lady Tarra and a handful of others," he answered. "No doubt others will join as well. It isn't often that I hold feasts at the Bannered Mare, so we'll see." Rajvik sighed quietly as he and Merrik fell in step behind Balgruuf as he walked over to where Irileth and Lydia were stood waiting to follow them.

"How about the Dragon's Holdfast?" Merrik suddenly said, no doubt suggesting a name for the keep. Rajvik rolled his eyes at his cousin's enthusiasm.

"I missed you very much cousin," Rajvik said. "But do shut up please."


End file.
